ED freezes Rs 1.4 crore; probe deepens into Bhullar-linked money laundering nexus involving property dealers and public servants
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/April 29,2026
Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chandigarh Zonal Office has conducted search operations on 27.04.2026 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at 11 premises located in Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Patiala. The premises are linked to H.S. Bhullar, his associates, including property dealers and suspected benamidars.
ED initiated the investigation on the basis of FIR registered by CBI, ACB, Chandigarh.
The FIR is based on a complaint filed by Akash Batta, alleging that illegal gratification was demanded by Harcharan Singh Bhullar, then DIG, through his middleman, Kirshanu, for settlement of FIR registered at P.S. Sirhind. The demand was allegedly made to ensure that no coercive or adverse Police action would be taken against the complainant’s scrap business.
Further, another FIR was registered against H.S. Bhullar in connection with possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
ED investigation revealed that substantial cash deposits and transfers were made in the bank accounts of various property dealers and associated persons (suspected benamidars) who had no legitimate source of income commensurate to the investments in land. The pattern and scale of these transactions indicate that large amounts of unaccounted cash were routed through multiple accounts and layered in the Bank accounts of suspected benamidars.
The funds were subsequently utilized for acquisition of properties in the names of suspected benamidars and original property documents were seized at Bhuallar’s residence previously by the CBI indicating beneficial ownership. During the course of searches, evidence relating to multiple such properties was recovered and seized. These properties include residential and agricultural assets located across Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Mohali, and Zirakpur. These transactions are under investigation.
The searches resulted in the seizure/freezing of Rs.1.4 Crore and recovery of various incriminating documents related to money laundering activities.
Further investigation is ongoing to establish the full extent of the money laundering activities and to uncover the nexus between property dealers, intermediaries, and public servants associated with H.S. Bhullar.
